VietNamNet Bridge – While dancers are gearing up for the third season of the Vietnamese version of the world acclaimed reality show “So you think you can dance,” local audiences might wonder whether John Huy Tran, a 35-year-old Vietnamese Canadian choreographer/judge who helped contestants stage fascinating performances in the previous two seasons, would return.

Vietnamese Canadian choreographer John Huy Tran.

After each contest he is a teacher of many local dancers who wish to improve their knowledge and techniques of dancing and help change locals’ awareness on this field of art.

At first sight, John Huy often leaves a good impression on people as he has a radiant smile and active manner. The accent of an overseas Vietnamese and funny explanations for what he says make him easily recognizable. Born into a family with a dancing and singing aptitude, John Huy, who was educated at National Dance of Canada, is also a gymnast and a martial arts athlete. His dancing strengths are hip hop, jazz, contemporary dance and aerobatics. John used to perform in some Broadway musicals in Canada.

The journey to pursue a dancing career was tough for him. He lost his job as a well-paid employee at an insurance company as he spent too much time practicing dancing.

He was fired by some other companies after that for the same reason. Then he worked as a nighttime cleaner for a garment company to earn money for basic stuffs. Thanks to support from friends, John Huy came back to a dance school and taught children to dance to earn a living.

His family trip to Vietnam in 2006 was nightmarish for him at first but later turned out to be a life-changer. He could not stand hot weather, language barrier and mosquito biting while adapting to a new life in HCMC as an English/dancing teacher before becoming a judge for “So you think you can dance” in 2012.

Before the launch of the contest, many people in Vietnam had a preconception that dancers are all naughty and stupid, he said.

“In fact, Vietnam has good choreographers/dancers like Viet Thanh, founder of the Hanoi-based Big Toe dance crew, and Ha Le, Viet Max and Tan Loc (Arabesque dance company).”

He and Linh Rateau, the owner of the Dancenter in HCMC’s District 2, are running numerous classes for professional dancers, adults and children. Furthermore, he choreographs and trains Urban Dance Group (UDG) consisting of over 20 artists aged between 19 and 29. The group has performed at some big events, including Duyen dang Vietnam (Charming Vietnam) music and fashion show and HTV Awards, and two own liveshows named Spotlight and Jazz. He looks to develop this group into a dance company to help train and create a new generation of good dancers.

“I think young dancers who are mostly self-taught and imitate what is available on the Internet should go to school to get basic knowledge and become professional.”

His upcoming plan is to cooperate with Ha Le to organize a class of choreography in their major genres like hip hop, jazz, and contemporary dance. The duo will later expand to other dancing styles to lure more participants.

What he is cherishing at the moment is to “give dancers knowledge, techniques and inspirations. Although my life in Vietnam is still difficult it’s worth my time and effort to do something for the art of dancing.”

SGT/VNN